Driving and controlling mechanism



Oct. 17, 1933. R. ca. WHITLOCK 1,930,946

DRIVING AND CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR POSTAL MACHINES Original Filed May 17, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet l wfiv ATTORNEy 4Sheets-Sheet 2 N R. G. WHITLOCK Original Filed May 17, 1926 DRIVING AND CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR POSTAL MACHINES Oct. 17, 1933.

INVENTOR F521. PH 52' VFW/77.06%

O 11, 193 R. G. WHITLOCK ,930,946

DRIVING AND CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR POSTAL MACHINES Original Filed May 17, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Ral h G. Whiil oc/C BY M (5 ATTORNE 1 17, 1933- R. G. WHITLOCK 1,930,946

DRIVING AND CONTROLLING I IE CHANISI FOR POSTAL KACHINBS originalFiled May i7, 19% 4 Sheetg-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Hal {1 L G lliiloc/C BY 3m ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 17, 1933 DRIVING AND CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR. POSTAL MACHINES 1 Ralph G. Whitlock, 'Ilos Angeles, v by mesne assignments, ,to

, Meter C ompany, a corporation Calif., assignor, National Postal of California Original application May 17, 1926,Serial No.

-109,643. Divided'and 26, 1929., Serial No.

this application January 335,331 1 This application is a division of an application entitled Machines for's'ealing and to print indicia on letters, filed by me on May 17, 1926, Serial Number 109,643 and relates particularly to a means, controllable by letters (mail pieces), carried on a conveyor, forming part of the sealing mechanismdor automatically stopping and starting, alternately, the sealing and indicia printing means wherebyito' provide .rest intervals for the mail pieces for the printing operations.

And further relates to theconstruction of a mechanism of simple, durable and economicconstruction for the efficient and dependable intermitt-ent operation 'of various parts of machines, more particularly postal machines. A

An object of my invention is to provide simple means for causing a single source of power to alternately and intermittently actuatefunctionally distinct mechanisms of an organized machine. i

To the above purposes my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts, as hereinafter .fully, clearly and concisely described, definitely pointed outin my claims and illustratedby the accompanying drawings (4 sheets) in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a postal machine equipped with an intermittent drive mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatical elevation showing the relative gear and clutch relation.

Fig; 3 is an end view of a portion ofthe drive mechanism showing the gear relation and con trol of the secondary clutch. I

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portionof the clutch showing theclutch pin. r y l f Fig. 5 is a more or less diagrammatical side elevation similar to Fig. 2 showing the gear train and gear shift of the drum drive.

Fig. 6 is a more or less diagrammatical side elevation similar to Fig. 2 showing the gear train and gear shift of the drum drive. 1 I

Fig. 7 is a more orless diagrammatical side elevation similar to Fig. 2 showing the trip mech; .anism from the letter trip to the clutch.

elevation of the trip mechanism shown in Figs. 1, 2, 7 and 9, in normal position, witha second posi; tion indicated in broken lines.

Fig. 9 is a more or less diagrammatical plan view of the trip mechanism shown in Figs. 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9, in normal position, with a second posi-- tion shown in broken lines.

Fig. 10 is a more or less diagrammaticalvlew of a portion of the trip mechanism residing adja-u cent the c'lutchsimilar to Fig. 3 with the partsin the same operative position.

Fig. 11 15, view similar to Fig. 10, showing the same parts in a second operative position.

The reference numerals used in the drawings 0' are the same as those used in my application, Ser. No. 109,643, filed May 17, 1926: In the'drawings, A designates a frame or stand; ;F a hopper and envelope feeding means; D a printing press;

19 a, motor; 87 a feed drum; 94 a sealing drum; a conveyor; 133 a moistener, all of which are,

or may be, of known construction and except in combination form no part of my invention.

The frame 22 has' a crossflmember 16 .upon 1 belt 34 conveys power and motion to the pulley which is mounted the motor 19 which by means of 39 keyed on shaft '32.

Keyed to shaft .32 is gear-wheel 33, whicheng engagement with a corresponding cavity 41" in gear wheel 36, and provided with'a head 46,,under I the shoulder of which, wedge'52 engages to, re-

, move the said pin 44 from cavity 41 in gear wheel 36; said spring 49 operating between shoulder 47 of pin 44 and a retainingplate 48, in clutch member47.' I

Shaft 38 has rotatably. mounted on it adjacent to clutch member 47, a spring tensioned clutch control member 53 carrying the said wedge 52, and isactuated by bar having its lower endshaped and disposed to receive contact from a tripdevice arm153 Shaft 32 has, key mounted on it a cam 147, positioned for a lifting engagement withthe 'arm 153'at a point adjacent to the bottom of l the said bar155.' M,

The recited gear wheel 33 also meshes with and, actuates gear wheel 40 which is secured to sectondary clutch element 162, rotatably mounted on shaft 35, and which is engaged by the Opposed section of the same clutch, whichmay be of "any conventional designhaving a clutch collar 161 Fig. 8 is a more or less diagrammatical front slidably keyed to shaft, 35 to be engaged by the corresponding section of actuating arm which is connected to bell crank 159; and operated by lever 158, supported on frame 22, and having at its upper end roller 157 which rides on the cam 105 I surface 42 of clutch element 47. Dwell 156 is provided in clutch element 47 to actuate lever 158 and its connections to operate secondary clutch element 161. v

Shaft 35 has key mounted ,on it bevel gear 72 110 which meshes with bevel gear '74 key mounted on shaft 73 which has key mounted on it bevel gear 75 for mesh with bevel gear 76 key mounted on shaft 77, which shaft also has key mounted on it gears '78 and '79 which form a gear shift mechanism together with gears 82 and 83 on shaft 80 and gear 84 on shaft 81 and gear train 85, 1'70 and 172 which drive the recited drums 87 and 94, and the feed roller 168 by gear 169 through shaft 1'73, which same are all supported in frame -90, and the conveyor belt 130 is drivenby drum 94.

The gears are shifted thru the lateral movement of shaft 80 by any conventional means, not shown,

for speed variation of the feed and conveyorsystem.

The trip arm 153 is spring tensioned, and,

mounted as at 154 so as to be universally movable, relative to frame 59 and is actuated, through-a compound lever action of arms 152, 149 and150 fulcrumed as at'151, when trip 148, which is normally in the path of mail pieces being moved by conveyor belt 130, is moved thru contact with a mail piece, as shown by the dotted lines in Figs.

8 and 9.

Uponthe arrival of a piece of mail matter, being conveyed by the belt 130, at a point to contact trip 148,and it being actuated,the connected arms 148 move trip arm 153laterally into the path of continuously rotating cam'l4'7, which raises trip arm'153 to contact and raise bar 155 which rotates clutch control member 53,-moving wedge 52 outfrom under the head 46 of clutchpin 44 allowing it .to spring engage in cavity 41 in continuously rotating gear wheel 36,-and upon this engagement, the clutch member 47 and its keyed shaft '38 are rotated to operate any mechanism operated by clutch. 47' and shaft 38.

attached thereto, such as a postal press. In the present device,rotation of shaft 38 is adapted to operate the press 128', the details of the mechanical operating connections'between shaft 38 and the press operating machine D not being shown here. The rotation of clutch member47 moves lever 158 out of, dwell 156 and thereby operates secondary clutch member. 161 to disengageand thus stop the driving. mechanism connected thereto, namely gears 72, '74,- 75, '76.and the other shafts, gears, drums; conveyor, etc., actuated by them, thus bringing the envelope that engaged and'actuated trip lever 148 to a stationary position, or rest, at

the. pr ess 128 to receive ,indicia, as actuated and 1 Trip arm 153 is returned to original position by spring tension of spring 153a upon release of the cam contact, which occurs at the'next revolution of cam 147, which consequently actuates the connected members 152 and 1.49, 150 and 148, these members being returned to their normal position by spring 149a shown in Fig. 8.

stantly after being raised by cam 14'? to actuate bar 155 allows bar 155 to drop, under the spring tension, to its original position and thus rotate clutch member 53 in a reverse direction to place wedge 52 at its original position to intercept and pullout the head 46 of pin 44, atthe same point in, and on the completion of each cycle of its operation, and by the withdrawal of pin 44 from the cavity 41 in gear wheel 36 the actuation of the clutch '4'7 and its keyed shaft 38 ceases, and at the same time the dwell 156 through the same cycle of rotation is brought to a position to receive the roller 157 of secondary clutch-arm 153 which causes the secondary clutch member 161 to engage, therebyactuating the driving mechanism operating the feed drums and conveyor.

Thus my invention'provides a simple and efii cient means to intermittently and alternately actuate and operate afeeding mechanism and a printing mechanism in a postal machine.

The form of the devi'ce illustrated and described' herein is submitted in accordance with statutory requirement by Way of exhibitingv one form of embodiment of my invention. Various changes, alterations or modifications of the structure may be made without departure from my invention as defined in the following claims.-

- I claim:

, 1. In combination: asingle revolution clutch; a bar for actuating said clutch; a cam positioned adjacentto said bar; an'arm adapted to be positioned relative to said cam and said bar to transmit power from said cam to actuate said bar and throw in said clutch; and automatic meansfor movingsaidarm out-of said position after said bar-has been actuated to start a revolution of said clutch to permit said'bar to returnto its' original position and cause said clutch to stop at the end of its revolution.

2. A combination as in claim 1 includinga trip adapted to be disposed adjacent the surface of a conveyer for engagement with an article thereon, I. said trip being connected to said arm and being adapted to actuate said arm whenengaged by an article and-moved therewith; and means on which said trip is mounted to remove said trip from the-path of an article which has contacted and'operated said trip.

RALPH G. WHITLQCK. 

